Injection-molded one-piece plastic carrying case with integral hinge and dust seal

ABSTRACT

A plastic carrying case for magnetic tape reels made in one integral injection molded structure is described. The base and cover sections of the case are coupled by a flexible strip which serves as a hinge. The base is provided with a lip around its edge which mates with a recess around the edge of the cover to form a dust seal, the hinge strip overlapping the ends of the dust seal for additional sealing. Matching handle sections provide an extended surface area to accommodate printed matter. Internal ridges serve to prevent tape reels in the case from abrading the inner surfaces of the case and generating debris which might contaminate the tape. Flexible plastic straps extending from the base mate with lugs extending from the cover to latch the cover closed on the base.

United States Patent 220/31 SR 206/42 206/ 1 6 220/31 206/ l 7 M 1 L m mm 5 6%3 n n um V. 6 emoetllu mmmhm i CTGBKGS 3788889 6666666 99999991111111 WWMW 24 11 11 3935 4 8976997 m n m S m W m a r r M o m v 9 r- Be 67 -QD 99C k X w m m w fl o mnMAWU m u 4u RSRSJOM s 0 de r m N mm w Nw v PMM$ .m AFPA 1. 11.1,] 2 253 7 2247 1 [11:1

Santa Clara Primary Examiner william T. Dixson, .lr.

AttameyLimbach, Limbach & Sutton A plastic carrying case for magnetictape reels D C A R T S B A DH .m

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[52] U.S. 190/57, made in one i ISO/0.5, 206/16 R, 206/52 F, 220/31 Sntegral injection molded structure is described.

The base and cover sections of the case are coupled by a flexible stripwhich serves as a hin l [51] Int. 13/26, ge The base is provided with a365d /28 ip around its edge which mates with a recess around the edgethe hinge strip overlapping the ends of the dust seal for additionalsealing. Matchin sections provide an extended surface area to accoprinted matter. Internal ridges serve to prevent ta Field of 206/52 F,ofthe cover to form a dust seal,

g handle mmodate pe reels in References Cited the case from abrading theinner surfaces of the case and generating debris which might contaminatethe tape. Flexible 206/52 F plastic straps extending from the base matewith lugs extend- 206/52 ing from the cover to latch the cover closed onthe base.

PATENTED 021121971 INVEN TORS MCHAND B. NAGPAL RA ROBERT H. DEVOKE M 4ATTORNEYS INJECTION-MOLDED ONE-PIECE PLASTIC CARRYING CASE WITH INTEGRALHINGE AND DUST SEAL The present invention relates in general to acarrying case for magnetic tape reels and more particularly to a novelintegral, homogeneous, in jection-molded plastic carrying case.

The carrying case f the present invention is especially useful instoring, carrying and shipping such a reel of tape. it is a lightweightand inexpensive one-piece case of rigid plastic formed byinjection-molding in two sections, a base section and a cover section,coupled together by a relatively thin, flexible strip which serves tohinge the cover section on the base section. A lip formed on the edge ofthe base section nests into a recess formed in the edge of the coversection, the lip and recess serving to form an effective seal againstdust and dirt when the case is closed. The lip and recess terminatewithin the ends of the hinge strip so that the strip, when the cover isclosed on the base, overlaps the ends of the dust seal to enhance thesealing effect.

in carrying, shipping or otherwise moving the carrying case with thereel therein, relative movement of the reel in the case produces anabrasion between the contact surfaces, resulting in a wearing of thesurfaces and the production of minute particles or powder within thecase. Since this powder has an undesired and deleterious effect on thetape and recording and play back operations performed with the tape,periodic cleaning of both the case and the tape is necessary. To reducethe surface contact area that the reel has with the cover and basesection and thereby reduce the amount of powder that may be produced dueto the abrasion, a plurality of small ridges are located at selected,spaced-apart locations on both the base and cover inner surfaces, theseridges contacting and holding the reel away from the major portion ofthe surface of the case.

Mating handle sections are provided on the base and cover sections foruse in carrying the case, the handle sections having an overlappingportion which provides an enlarged surface area for carrying printedmatter such as titles for the contents, addresses, etc.

lntegral, flexible straps on the base section cooperate with latch lugson the cover section to provide a catch mechanism to latch the cover onthe base in the closed position.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent from a perusal of the following specification takenin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel carrying case show ing it inthe closed position and standing up on one of its ends;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the case showing the cover sectionraised up from the base section;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the novel latch mechanism, and;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross section view, partly broken away, of theclosed and latched carrying case.

Referring now to the drawings, the carrying case comprises a basesection 11 and a cover section 12, the base section having a bottom wall13 and sidewalls 14, 15, 16 and 17 and the cover section having a topwall 18 and sidewalls 19, 20, 21 and 22. A relatively thin and flexiblestrip of plastic 23 extends between sidewalls and 20 along a centralportion thereof and serves to hinge the cover 12 on the base 11.

A lip 24 extends from the upper edge of the base walls 14, 16 and 17 andalso from the end segments of the wall 15. A recess is formed in theinner surface of the cover walls 19, 21 and 22 and also in the endsegments of the wall 20. Both ends of the lip 24 in the base wall 15 andthe ends of the recess 25 in the cover wall 20 extend into the centralportions of the walls from the corners and past the outer ends orboundaries of the'flexible hinge strip 23. The lip 24'nests within therecess 25 when the cover 12 is closed upon the base 11 and forms a sealagainst dirt and dust. This seal extends along sidewalls 15 and 20beyond the ends of the hinge 23, the hinge strip overlapping andadditionally sealing the ends of the lip and recess seal when the coveris closed on the base. i

The discontinuity in the central area of wall 15 in the seal provided bythe lip 24 and recess 25 facilitates closure of the case and strengthensthe wall 15 in the area of the hinge 23.

The base section is provided with a spindler ing 25 adapted to fitwithin the center opening in the tape reel and hold the reel centered inthe case. A short annular ridge 26 is located around the spindle ring25'. Four elongated ridges 27extend inwardly from the corners of thebottom wall 13; four similar ridges 28 are located in the surface of thetop wall 18. An additional elongated ridge 29 is centered in the topwall 18 of the cover. These ridges 26, 27, 28 and 29 in the base andcover section are so arranged and dimensioned to contact the two sidesurfaces of the magnetic tape reel when it is placed within thecontainer and hold the surfaces of the reel away from large area contactwith the major surface area of the base wall 13 and top wall 18. Bylimiting the contact between the surfaces of the reel and the surfacesof the container to the small surface area of the ridges, the extent ofabrasive contact is substantially reduced thus limiting the amount ofabrasion dust and the like which will be created by friction between thereel and the container surfaces.

An integral handle section 31 extends from the sidewall 22 of the coversection, the handle section-comprising a pair of double-walled legportions 32 and 33 and a lateral or bridge portion 34 extending betweenthe two leg portions. The bridge portion is provided with a recess orledge 34' running the length of the bridge. The base section 11 isprovided with a handle section extending from the sidewall 17, thishandle section conforming substantially to the size and shape of the hamdle section extending from the cover section 12. The bridge portion 35extending between the two leg portions 36 and 37 is provided with anextended or cantilever region 38 adapted to fit within the recess orledge 34 in the bridge of the cover handle when the cover is closed onthe base. This extension 38 provides the bridge of the handle sectionwith an extended surface area to accommodate enlarged printed matterserving to classify the contents of the container or to carry anaddress, designation or the like.

A pair of flexible straps 41 extend from the sidewall 17 of the basesection, these straps having protruding knob portions 42 near theirouter ends. The end wall 22 of the cover section is provided with twopairs of spaced-apart lugs 43 which serve as catches, the lugs havingrecesses 44 therein into which the knob projections 42 of the strapmembers 41 may fit when the cover section 12 is closed on the basesection 11 and the straps 41 bent over into contact with the latchinglugs 43.

It should be noted that the plastic container of the present inventionis so designed and dimensioned that it can be manufactured as anintegral, homogeneous structure in a one-shot injection-molding process.Where flexibility is required, as in the hinge 23 and the latch straps,the members are made substantially thinner than the remainder of thecarrying case. The thinner plastic gives flexibility to those memberswhereas the thicker plastic walls and surfaces provide rigidity to themain body of the container.

What is claimed is:

l. A carrying case formed in an integral structure of injection-moldedplastic comprising a base section including a bottom wall and aplurality of sidewalls, a cover section including a top wall and aplurality of sidewalls, a flexible strip extending between one sidewallof the cover secton and one sidewall of the base section and joining thecover section to the base section, said flexible strip serving as ahinge to permit said cover section to close over said base section toform a closed container, and a lip extending from the edge of thesidewalls of said base section the edge of the sidewalls of said coversection having a recess formed therein, the lip on the sidewalls of saidbase section nesting within the recess of the sidewalls of said coversection when the cover section is closed on the base section and forminga dust seal between the cover and base sections said carrying casefurther including a handle section extending outwardly from one sidewallof said base section and a second handle section extending out from anassociated sidewall of said cover section, each handle section includingtwo leg portions and a lateral portion bridging across the outer ends ofthe leg portions, the lateral portions of one handle section having arecess therein and the lateral portions of the other handle sectionhaving a cantilever extension thereon, the handle secton being broughtinto abutting relationship when the cover section is closed on the basesection, the cantilever extension of the one handle section nestingwithin the recess in the other handle section.

2. A carrying case as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flexible stripextends along a central portion of said one sidewall of the base sectionand a central portion of said one sidewall of the cover section the lipon said one sidewall of the base section and the recess on said onesidewall of the cover section extending continuously around thesidewalls of the base and cover sections and having a gap within andonly within the two outer boundaries of said flexible strip whereby theflexible hinge overlaps the terminating ends of the seal between the lipand recess when the cover section is closed on the base section.

1. A carrying case formed in an integral structure of injectionmoldedplastic comprising a base section including a bottom wall and aplurality of sidewalls, a cover section including a top wall and aplurality of sidewalls, a flexible strip extending between one sidewallof the cover secton and one sidewall of the base section and joining thecover section to the base section, said flexible strip serving as ahinge to permit said cover section to close over said base section toform a closed container, and a lip extending from the edge of thesidewalls of said base section the edge of the sidewalls of said coversection having a recess formed therein, the lip on the sidewalls of saidbase section nesting within the recess of the sidewalls of said coversection when the cover section is closed on the base section and forminga dust seal between the cover and base sections said carrying casefurther including a handle section extending outwardly from one sidewallof said base section and a second handle section extending out from anassociated sidewall of said cover section, each handle section includingtwo leg portions and a lateral portion bridging across the outer ends ofthe leg portions, the lateral portions of one handle section having arecess therein and the lateral portions of the other handle sectionhaving a cantilever extension thereon, the handle secton being broughtinto abutting relationship when the cover section is closed on the basesection, the cantilever extension of the one handle section nestingwithin the recess in the other handle section.
 2. A carrying case asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said flexible strip extends along a centralportion of said one sidewall of the base section and a central portionof said one sidewall of the cover section the lip on said one sidewallof the base section and the recess on said one sidewall of the coversection extending continuously around the sidewalls of the base andcover sections and having a gap within and only within the two outerboundaries of said flexible strip whereby the flexible hinge overlapsthe terminating ends of the seal between the lip and recess when thecover section is closed on the base section.